Defiant
by blah65
Summary: Wicked musicalverse. Follows the events after Defying Gravity until the end of the show...what did happen during intermission?
1. Chapter 1

The figure moved quickly through the silent streets. She carried a broomstick in one hand, a large book in her other arm, and a pointed hat rested on her head. It was a calm, cold night, and the only sounds were from the young woman's feet. She seemed almost more shadow than human, and she looked nervously behind her more than once. Her cape billowed softly behind her as she swiftly walked past the many houses, all of them getting more rundown as she passed them. She stopped suddenly, and turned to her right. After checking the house numbers, she walked up the crooked cement steps, and her green hand shuffled the broomstick around to knock quickly on the door.

She stood waiting, her eyes on the ground, and in a few more moments than she was comfortable with, the door opened.

Dr. Dillamond looked down at the woman on his doorstep and gasped in a sigh of relief. She didn't look up. "Elphaba," he breathed. He took a step forward and embraced her in his large arms. She let him, leaning in to his shoulder, and he felt her shudder. He wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from the emotion, but he didn't ask her. He held her for another moment, then stepped back. She looked up at him finally. Her face was expressionless once again.

He ushered her inside quickly, and she stepped past him into the doorway. As soon as she had, he poked his Goat's head outside of the door and looked both ways, making sure she hadn't been followed. He didn't see anyone, and he came back inside, shut the door, and turned around.

She was standing in his living room, staring downwards. She looked awkward with all of her things, and he noticed it. "Come, let me take…" he trailed off uncomfortably, feeling odd saying "broomstick". She handed him her broomstick and book, and he gestured for her hat, which she gave up after a moment. He set them next to the door, and faced Elphaba. They held eye contact for a moment, and then he gestured towards the worn, moth-eaten couch. "Sit down, sit down," he told her. She did, and was quiet for a moment.

"Thank you," she then said softly. "I wasn't sure if…"

He nodded. He knew.

He grabbed a chair from the wall that he never used, for lack of need, and sat across from her. They stared at each other, then he stood up hurriedly. "Do you need anything? Food…?"

"Some water," she told him, not skipping a beat.

He came back from his tiny kitchen with a plate of bread and a glass of water. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I haven't gone shopping in awhile."

She shook her head. "It's fine. Thank you."

She took the plate and glass from him and took a long drink of water, and began eating, glad he had brought it, though she hadn't asked. Dr. Dillamond was quiet, watching his green, former student eat, but his mind was elsewhere. She finished quickly and he took the plate and glass from her, taking them into the kitchen. He came back and sat in his chair again. She continued to stare at the floor, clearly troubled.

"I was very afraid for your safety, Elphaba," he told her in his husky voice. She looked at him, her face holding no meaning, but her eyes showing gratitude. "But I didn't believe them," he said, answering her first comment. "I didn't believe anything told to me...I got the paper – "

"The paper?" she cut him off, in near-disbelief.

He caught his breath, feeling as if he shouldn't have said anything.

She felt chills on the back of her neck. She was in the paper? She knew she was a fugitive, she grasped that…but they considered it that big to put her in the paper?

"May I see it?" she whispered.

They looked at each other for a moment, and then he got up, walking back to the kitchen. He came back with a newspaper in his hand, and gave it to her.

She started to tremble as she saw that she was front-page news. The words scrolling across the top of the page read

"Beware! Wicked Witch spreads horrible lies and mutilates defenseless animals".

She dropped the paper on the wooden coffee table in front of her. She didn't want to read any more. She brought her shaking hand in to her slowly, and her lower lip trembled a bit before she regained composure. Dr. Dillamond watched her carefully.

"Being different caused both of our downfalls, didn't it?" he asked her, trying to keep the tone light – it didn't work.

She didn't respond to his statement for a moment, then nodded slowly, not looking at him.

"What happened?" he asked her after a moment. She met his eyes, almost in surprise that he had spoken. He noticed her shade of green had grown a few shades lighter, and he guessed that meant she was pale.

"What did you hear?" she asked him in return.

He told her. In the paper, it had told him, in short, that she had mercilessly mutilated a flock of the Wizard's monkeys, and then began to spread lies about the Wizard for "reasons unknown to the media at this point". She then flew off, stealing a valuable spell book.

"It sounds to me," Dr. Dillamond concluded, "that they weren't done concocting their story. I'm afraid…I think there will be more to it in tomorrow's news."

Elphaba flinched, and looked towards the Grimmerie. "I think I did steal it," she said, not sounding sorry. "But that's it!" she said earnestly to Dr. Dillamond. "I didn't…" she trailed off, suddenly looking very tired. "Did you hear anything else?" she asked after another moment.

"About…"

"Like…gossip-wise." She seemed almost scared to hear about it.

He rubbed his eyes, not wanting to tell her everything he had heard in gossip – not being able to break her heart with tales of people staying indoors until she was caught, of keeping their children right next to them when they _did_ venture out, of those who blamed her skin color, who said she wasn't "built to function in a normal society"…he couldn't. He shook his head. "I haven't gone out today," he lied.

She knew he was lying, but didn't question it, not entirely certain she wanted to know anyway. "What about Glinda?" she asked quickly.

"She's fine, I'm sure," he reassured her. "The paper have made her out to be a hero, you needn't worry about her."

She breathed a quick sigh of relief, deciding not to wonder about why Glinda was a hero – she thought she knew. She stifled a yawn, but Dr. Dillamond saw it anyway. "Come," he said, standing up. "You need some sleep."

Elphaba didn't argue, and stood up, following him to his bedroom. There was a small bed in a small room, and he patted her on the shoulder. "It'll be okay," he said, hoping he wasn't – and fearing he was – lying. She nodded, not really listening. He went out of the room and shut the door behind him. He'd spend the night on the couch. He was just glad that she was safe – and that he knew it.

…

She awoke late the next morning, with the sun already trying to stream in past the tightly drawn curtains. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her vision was blurry, as she had lost her glasses, and she hated the helpless feeling she always got when she didn't have her glasses on. She stretched her arms and then got out of bed, still fully dressed (cape and all) from the night before. She made the bed with the handmade quilt that adorned it and stepped around the bed to the door, cautiously walking out to the living room.

Dr. Dillamond wasn't out there, and she immediately felt her heart pound. Had the Guard come and taken him away while he was sleeping because she was there? No, that wouldn't make sense, they would have taken her. She bit her lip, hating thoughts like these that were already coming so easy to her. She walked to the room that she hadn't been in last night, the kitchen. He wasn't there, but she noticed a piece of paper. She walked to it.

"Don't leave, I'll be back soon."

She assumed the note was meant for her, and her heartbeat returned to normal. She looked around his kitchen. It was small, like the other few rooms, and held very few things. There was a cupboard on the wall, and an ice box on the ground. A small, flimsily made table sat in the middle of the floor with one chair next to it. She walked back into the living room. She hadn't noticed very much about it the night before, but she was a little more coherent today. It had a beautiful painting on the wall, clearly an antique, the couch, the chair, and a wooden coffee table in front of the couch. It also had a bookcase shoved in the corner, big, with books overflowing out of it. She looked more closely at the coffee table. Even with her blurry vision, she could tell there were now two newspapers on it. She stood in the doorway of the kitchen, staring at the paper. Did she want to read it? She knew she did. Would she be able to handle what it said, though?

She heard steps outside, and she quickly retreated to the kitchen, not liking that that was instinctively. She heard the door open and then slam shut. She knew it was Dr. Dillamond, and felt silly that her breath was coming shorter.

"Elphaba?" he called out softly, confirming her suspicions. She poked her head out of the kitchen, and he smiled at her. He had two bags of food with him, which he brought into the kitchen and laid neatly on the counter. "Did you see the paper?" he asked, hoping to seem off-hand.

She cleared her throat. "No," she said.

He nodded, and decided that she wouldn't want to hear about the signs posted all around with safety precautions to take since the "Wicked Witch" was on the loose.

"Do you want breakfast?" he asked her. She shrugged and nodded at the same time.

"Thanks," she said. He waved it off.

After he shooed her from the kitchen, she wandered to his door, looking at the things she had brought with her. The Grimmerie…her broomstick…her hat. She kneeled down and sat cross-legged, gently putting the Grimmerie into her lap. She opened it carefully. It was an old book, and she was afraid that it would break every time she turned a page. She didn't know why she could read it, but she could. She had flipped to that dreaded page, the page that had given the monkeys wings – though it had made her broom fly. She closed it quickly and set it down. She would look at it later.

After breakfast (which was actually lunch for Dr. Dillamond; it was after noon) Dr. Dillamond and Elphaba both went to the living room and sat down.

"What do you plan on, Elphaba?" he asked her seriously.

She broke his gaze and stared off. "I don't know," she said, somewhat helplessly.

He continued to look at her, instinctively knowing, as a teacher should, that it wasn't his turn to speak.

She looked back at him. "I don't know," she whispered again.

It was his turn, now. "You can stay here," he said. As she began to shake her head, he went on. "Elphaba, no one will suspect me of having you! Most don't even know where I live, I don't even know how _you_ did," she glanced over at the Grimmerie then, as it had showed her where he was, "I moved after I…stopped teaching. Anyway, Elphaba…you'd be safe here."

They stared at each other for nearly a minute, and neither one said a word. She shook her head, though. "I know I would," she told him. "But _you_ wouldn't."

…

Hooray, all! I'm back! I think this is already starting out better than my last story, which gives me hope (besides the fact that neither character is yet...in character). Hope you all liked it, review saying if you did!


	2. Chapter 2

Elphaba gripped the Grimmerie tightly, waiting for Dr. Dillamond to finish writing the directions to his old friend's house.

After Dr. Dillamond finally consented that he wouldn't be completely safe with Elphaba staying there, he persuaded her to let him recommend some people to stay with, who would be happy to have her. She didn't trust them, but she _did_ trust Dr. Dillamond, so she agreed to take his help.

"When you get there, keep your skin covered. Hand them this letter," he gave her a folded note, "and _don't say_ anything. They won't trust you until they've read this. This is how you get there," he handed her another folded note, "and be _careful_."

"Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded. "If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to come here. If you ever can, send word. Even if it's just that you're alive."

She nodded this time, and he pulled her into an awkward hug. She hugged him back this time, and it struck her suddenly that he was more of a father to her than her own, Frex. The thought brought no emotion.

That night, Elphaba left the house of her former teacher. Again, she carried her things, not wanting to bring alarm by riding her broomstick – she wasn't very good at it, anyway. She plodded along nervously, consulting the directions every time she got to a new intersection. Up ahead, she could see the next spot where the cobblestone roads crossed, marked by a post with a flyer on it. She stopped before she got there, looking at the directions again. She was to go to the left this time. She was heading further away from Munchkinland, further from where the poor lived and closer to where the rich lived. She put the directions back in her pocket – she found that the blanket Glinda wrapped around her seemed almost to change…she didn't know it had had a pocket yesterday.

She stopped at the post, tentatively looking down both ways of the street. Seeing no one, she glanced at the flyer, then did a double-take as she read the words. Moving back a few feet, she read the flyer, her lips parted.

WANTED! WICKED WITCH!

Wanted for spreading lies and mutilating Animals. REWARD!

The flyer was accompanied by a sketch of herself (it didn't look much like her, she observed, but it didn't have to; the skin was green, that's all one needed to know) and another flyer underneath – safety tips. She licked her lips. Tips on how to be safe from her. She took a deep breath and nodded her head slightly to herself. She had a small urge to rip the signs down, but left them both untouched. Not looking at the flyers again, she continued walking.

…

When she got there, she gazed up at the house. It was a bright shade of fuschia, and everything about the house seemed to smile. Morning would be dawning soon, and so Elphaba quickly walked through the small, tiny yard that accompanied the other houses in the small cul-de-sac (all painted another bright shade) and to the front door. Before knocking, she arranged her hair more in front of her face, and brought the hat down. She carefully wrapped her arms in her cape and held the note with it. She hesitated a moment, then knocked quickly on the door, and then put her arm back inside her cape, looking down, her heart beating furiously.

It was awhile before they answered the door – clearly, she had woken them up. Elphaba did not look to see who opened the door, but thrust the arm carrying the note out to them. Whoever it was grabbed it, and she heard a rustle of paper. She heard a gasp, and felt someone brush the hair away from her face, and lift her chin up. She looked into the face of a Munchkin – not a short Munchkin, but she could tell that she was one. The woman took her hand out from underneath her chin and her jaw dropped in a comical way upon seeing her skin, but she quickly clamped her mouth together again. She looked at the note again in disbelief, and then back at Elphaba. Elphaba stood quietly, looking at the woman calmly.

"Well," the woman breathed quickly. Her eyes were open wide, and her eyes didn't leave Elphaba's face. "Come in, come in."

Elphaba nodded her head in thanks and moved quickly past the woman. The woman closed the door and the two sized each other up. The woman wasn't quite as tall as Elphaba was, Elphaba noticed (with a sharp pang) that she was about as tall as Glinda. She had mousy brown hair that ended in a short bob above her shoulders, and she was slightly plump. Her features were not unattractive, and kind wrinkles crowned her eyes. She looked to be about forty.

She looked up and down at Elphaba with sympathy. "You look to be barely twenty years old," she said sadly. "How old are you, dear?"

"Nineteen," Elphaba answered her.

The woman's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, dear," she murmured. Elphaba noticed that she clearly believed every word of whatever Dr. Dillamond had written – Elphaba herself didn't know what was in the note, she hadn't read it. "What's your name? Your…_real_ name?" the Munchkin woman asked Elphaba.

Elphaba hesitated a moment, remembering the flyers. They were calling her a "Wicked Witch" now. She felt a twinge of regret at the words.

"Elphaba," she told her.

Again, the woman looked to be about ready to cry. Elphaba had never encountered someone so empathetic.

"I'm Cirnella," the Munchkin woman responded. She consulted the note once again. "You were once a student of Dillamond's?"

"Yes," Elphaba nodded. "Before…"

Cirnella waved her hand. "I know. He's told me all about it. I know what the Wizard is up to as well as you and he do, and I despise it as well."

Elphaba felt relief at these words, but felt the need to explain herself. "I didn't really mutilate…well, I mean, I did, but I didn't mean to do anything…"

"And you also aren't spreading lies." Cirnella nodded and tapped the note. "I wasn't sure I believed what they have been telling us about you anyway, knowing what the Wizard was up to. Not all of us are brainwashed by the Wizard, dearie." A thought struck her. "Oh, you must be so tired! I'm sorry, let me look around here…"

Elphaba felt herself smile a little. Cirnella hurried about her living room, looking for blankets and pillows, which gave Elphaba an opportunity to look at the house. It was sizably bigger than Dr. Dillamond's was, and much more colorful. It had lots of furniture and decorations in the room – not to the point of being cramped, but just enough to feel cozy. Elphaba saw a hallway leading to a kitchen to the right, and there were stairs leading upwards, also. Cirnella, huffing, stood up after finding spare blankets in a cupboard. She crossed and handed them to Elphaba – after Elphaba set her broom and Grimmerie on the table. "I'd give you the bed," she apologized, "but my husband's still in it."

Elphaba grew tense.

"Oh, not to worry, dearest," she told her, as if reading Elphaba's mind, "He's as much against the Wizard as I am."

"And is he against me?"

The thought came out without thinking it over first, but she was glad she said it. Cirnella looked taken aback, and was clearly concocting a lie. Elphaba smiled regretfully and looked down. Her silence clearly meant that he was, in fact, against Elphaba. "I should probably go…" Elphaba started, but Cirnella would have nothing of it.

"No, I'll show him the note before you're even awake in the morning. He'll understand, believe me, dear. It'll be all right." She patted Elphaba on the shoulder. "Now you get a good night's rest here, and I'll take care of everything."

She was treating Elphaba like a child, but Elphaba wasn't certain that she minded. Numbly, she said good night – and thank you – to Cirnella, and made herself a bed on the couch. She hadn't laid down for more than a minute before falling asleep.

…

When she awoke the next morning, barely four hours later, she could hear sounds coming from the kitchen – clearly Cirnella was awake. She instinctively reached for her glasses, but then realized she had none anymore. Quickly, she sat up and folded the blankets she had used to sleep on, then stumbled blurrily into the kitchen.

It wasn't Cirnella. It was a man – her husband, Elphaba guessed – that was somewhat tall (perhaps as tall as Elphaba) with dark brown hair. Elphaba froze for a moment, not sure of what to do, but before she could decide, the man turned around. For a moment, they stared at each other in fear and disbelief, but then the man grabbed a knife and pointed it at her.

"Stay back!" he shouted. She fell back a few steps and pressed herself into their counter, terrified. "Cirnella!" he shouted, still pointing a knife at Elphaba. Elphaba shrunk back as far as she could, knowing she should explain, but the words couldn't come. "Cirnella! Get out of the house and alert the Gale Force immediately!" he yelled, panicking.

Elphaba breathed shallowly, and he advanced towards her, still protecting himself with a knife. Her heart beat quickly, and she finally found words. "Stop!" she cried. "Dr. Dillamond sent me here, I spoke to your wife last night!"

He stopped where he was, but didn't put the knife down. "Dr. Dillamond?"

"Yes! Really, you _must_ believe me, the Wizard has been lying about me! Your wife has a note from Dr. Dillamond, _please_ believe me!" she exclaimed.

They both heard a commotion, and Cirnella raced into the kitchen to find a frightened Elphaba and her even more frightened husband brandishing a knife. "Kint, no!" Cirnella shouted.

Kint looked at Cirnella with a wide-eyed expression. "Put the knife down!" Cirnella told her husband firmly.

He did, slowly, and Elphaba let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She let go of the counter she had been gripping. Cirnella went to her side and put a protective arm around Elphaba's shoulders. "This is _Elphaba_," she told Kint. "Dr. Dillamond sent her here."

"So…"

"So the Wizard was lying about her! He lies about everything else, why shouldn't he!"

Kint looked foolish. "I am so sorry," he told her. He held his hand out, and Elphaba realized in a moment that he meant to shake hands. She took it numbly, and noticed that both of their hands were still trembling. They both laughed quickly – not happy ones, but the laugh that comes after something terrifying is over.

He took his hand back after shaking hers and scratched his head. "Gee, I am _really_ sorry…"

"It's okay," she replied softly. It wasn't, though. It really wasn't. The experience was terrifying, and not one that she expected to have. It was as if…it was as if it was the third sign that all of this was real. The first was the newspaper. The second was the flyers. And now this…it really was real, and it frightened her.

Cirnella joined Elphaba on the couch that night, where Elphaba had spent pretty much the whole day. "Are you staying any longer?" Cirnella asked. "You're welcome to, of course, but Dr. Dillamond said you probably wouldn't…"

Elphaba shook her head. "I'm leaving tonight."

Cirnella nodded, and Elphaba detected a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Well, dearie, I expected as much. He put in his note to me who you are to stay with, and I'll go write directions out now."

…

That night, as Elphaba stood with her book and broom, Cirnella gave her the instructions, her eyes filled with tears. She hugged Elphaba, and kissed her on the cheek. "Oh, dear, and you're so young!" she sobbed.

Kint stood slightly back. He had avoided Elphaba that day. "They're good people," he told Elphaba. "They'll take care of you."

Elphaba nodded, and as she dropped her broom to shake Kint's hand, she wondered how much longer her being passed around from household to household could go on – a thought that made the Grimmerie glow with anticipation.

…

A/N: Hope you all liked it! I'm not certain if I did or not.

Thanks to my reviewers! Lyndalion16: Thanks! I shall I shall!

PinkElphaba: That's crazy! Great minds _do_ think alike! Lol, oh well, guess the plot wasn't as original as I imagined it was…

Blufair: Thanks so much! Dr. Dillamond will come back in the fic, too. And OMG! "Elphaba doesn't seem to be quite herself right now, but I think that makes sense. She's probably in shock now that the realization of what she's gotten herself into is sinking in." That's exactly it! I didn't have the words, but that's exactly what's happening! Thanks for describing that.

Oh yes, and Cirnella is pronounced Kearn-EL-ah.

Also, thanks to littlesoprano for putting me on her favorites list. : ) To the rest of you forty eight people out there who hit on my story, review if you would! Thanks so much, all!


	3. Chapter 3

Glinda sat on her bed back at Shiz, staring over at Elphie's empty one.

Her best friend was wanted.

She, herself, was considered a hero because she agreed to lie about her best friend.

She hated herself.

After Elphaba had, well, flew off, the guards were uncertain of what to do, and completely baffled by what had just happened. They turned on Glinda.

"How did she do that?" they asked ferociously.

Glinda's eyes were wide and frightened. "I don't know," she told them, tears threatening to overflow. It wasn't until after she said it that she remembered that she _did_ know, but she held her tongue.

The guards saw the epitome of innocence on Glinda's face, and they couldn't interrogate her more. One brought her down to the Wizard's, speaking to her nicely, trying to get her to calm down. She didn't hear anything he said.

The guard brought her to the Wizard and Madame Morrible. The Wizard was behind the big head, and it said, "Leave the girl."

The guard left at once, leaving Glinda there. She looked fearfully upon Madame Morrible's unforgiving face. The Wizard, after hearing the door close, came out from behind the head.

"You foolish girl," Madame Morrible spat. "You let her go!"

Tears ran down Glinda's face, as she realized how much trouble she was in. "I didn't know what to do," she said, in a voice shaking from crying.

The Wizard put a hand up to Madame Morrible. "She didn't do it," said the Wizard. He crossed to Glinda and stood in front of her, and Glinda wiped her eyes and sniffed. "Now, Miss…" he trailed off, forgetting her name.

"Glinda," she hiccupped.

"Miss Glinda," he said to her kindly. "I think we can work something out."

And that had been what happened. Glinda promised to not say anything about what _really_ happened with Elphaba, and the Wizard promised Glinda a position of power once she graduated. Madame Morrible wasn't happy with it in the beginning, but then when she saw that Glinda was willing to cooperate, she gave in.

Glinda had not been back at Shiz for more than three hours. It was the day after Elphie had made her decision and defied everything that could make her happy, and Glinda had had to fight an onslaught of fellow students, all wanting to hear the exact tale of her bravery. Glinda feigned a smile, told them all, "it was nothing," and went straight to her room. No one had come to call on her, so she assumed Madame Morrible was taking care of the other students for her. Glinda was alone with her thoughts, however, Glinda didn't like being alone very much. She thought of Nessarose very soon.

She supposed she should go see her…her and Nessa hadn't been friends, exactly, but they had been acquaintances…sort of. She talked to her on occasion, at least. But that wasn't why, of course. She needed to see how Nessa was holding up.

Glinda went to her door and bravely opened it. She was surprised to see no one waiting there, but down the hall, there were some people that saw her and waved. She waved back, not knowing who they were, and walked the other way, down to Nessa's room.

It was right next to Madame Morrible's (a door connected the two rooms), but Madame Morrible was almost never there, so it wasn't too much of a problem. Glinda knocked.

"Go away," a voice said bitterly.

"It's me, Nessa," Glinda said softly.

There wasn't an answer for a moment, and while Glinda contemplated knocking again, Nessa said, "Come in."

Glinda opened the door. It was a large room, much nicer than any of the other students rooms. Nessa sat in her wheelchair in front of her desk, facing the door. Her eyes were angry.

"Hi, Nessa," Glinda said tentatively.

Nessa said nothing.

Glinda stared at her for a moment, then gestured towards the bed. "Can I sit down?"

"Yes." Nessa responded simply.

Glinda did. "Are you okay, Nessa?" she asked, her tone timid.

"You're _lying_," Nessa hissed.

Glinda paused for a moment, confused. "What?"

"You're lying!" Nessa cried, tears springing to her eyes. "Elphaba wouldn't do that, I know she wouldn't! And you're saying she would!"

"Nessa, I _have_ – "

"No! Just shut up! Tell me the truth! Tell me what happened!"

Nessa looked so angry that Glinda hesitated. "Well…" she trailed off, at a loss for words. "What exactly do you want to know?"

Nessa opened her mouth, and then took a deep breath. "What happened with the monkeys?"

Glinda furtively glanced at the door that led to Madame Morrible's room. "I'm not supposed to – "

"What?" Nessa looked so eager at this new piece of information that Glinda was confused.

"I mean, I…" she paused helplessly, then sighed. "Nessa, your sister really did mutilate those monkeys."

Nessa's eyes were wide, and she was quiet for a moment. The tears were still in her eyes, and she leaned back in her wheelchair. "You're lying," she said, though her tone suggested she had nearly given up.

"She didn't _mean_ to, exactly, though…"

Nessa sat forward, hopeful. "What happened?" she demanded.

Glinda didn't know what to do, then she went to the door and locked it, sat on the bed, and told Nessa everything.

Nessa breathed a shaky sigh of relief. "I knew you were lying," she said, her words triumphant, her tone almost…sad. "I knew it."

"But Nessa, you _can't tell anyone_."

"I know," she said irritably. "Or your precious reputation will be spoiled."

"Not only that, I'll probably go to jail! Nessa, it's really important!"

"I know!" she shouted again. She lowered her voice, and looked hopeful. "Do you think this will get resolved?"

"Of course," Glinda said quickly. "She'll apologize, or…something, and everything will work out."

Nessa looked thoughtful. "She'll come back and help me," she murmured excitedly. "She'll come back for me," she told Glinda confidently. "I know my sister, she'll come back."


	4. Chapter 4

Fiyero knocked on the door to Glinda's room. There was no answer. He shot a disapproving look behind him, and the many students that filled the hall outside of Glinda's room, hoping to get the chance to console her, all looked away guiltily. Fiyero knocked again, and then saw down the other hallway, to his right, the small blonde girl shutting the door, coming out of another room.

She couldn't help breaking into a smile when she saw him. She broke into a quick run and threw herself into his waiting arms. He stroked her soft curls, leaning his head into her shoulder. They heard giggles behind them, but they were oblivious. Glinda broke away and stepped past him, opening the door to her room. Wordlessly and no longer smiling, she held it open for him, and he went inside. She followed, closing the door.

Fiyero looked at both beds. He had been in the room several times before, and even the first time he could tell which bed was Glinda's. He took a seat on Elphaba's, and looked up at Glinda, who was still standing.

Glinda and Fiyero stared at one another for a moment, and then Glinda's hands rushed to her face as she let out a sob. "Oh, Glinda," Fiyero murmured, feeling awful for her. He stood up and took the few steps towards Glinda, holding her. She let herself fall helplessly into them, her shoulders shaking and the tears soaking her face and his shirt.

"I didn't know what to do, and then they said she did all of these horrible things and I had to go along with it…" Glinda choked out.

Fiyero was frozen. When he had heard the news, he didn't want to believe it - he couldn't believe it – but then again…what else was he supposed to believe?

He couldn't say anything for a moment, not while she was so upset, so he waited for her sobs to die down. When they did, he pulled away from her, and she sniffled and wiped her eyes. Quietly, he led her over to the bed – her bed. They both sat down on it, and he faced her. "Glinda…what _did_ happen there?"

She looked scared, and looked around. "Fiyero…" she lowered her voice, as if someone was watching. "I can't tell anyone…I already told Nessa, they might find out…"

Fiyero looked around slowly. "Glinda…there's _no one here_…"

"You don't know that!" she shouted. She looked around again, and then lowered her voice. "They're using _monkeys_ as _spies_."

Fiyero stared at her, not sure whether or not she was mentally stable. He took her hands in his. "Can you please tell me what happened?" he asked softly, looking into her eyes. He knew he needed to know, not just for him, but for Glinda.

Glinda took a deep breath. "Okay," she decided.

As Glinda told him, Fiyero felt his heart lift until finally he was being pulled up to the sky. Elphaba wasn't really some…_wicked witch_, as they had been calling her. But he came crashing down to the ground within a second as he realized that it hardly mattered what she really was – what mattered was what the Wizard _told_ everyone she was.

Glinda's eyes were still tearful, and he breathed deeply, not sure whether to feel elated or heavily burdened by what Glinda had just told him. He tried to focus on Elphaba having not really done any of those things, but found himself distracted by the fact that she was not only an outcast, as she was at school, but she was actually feared. That, and she was probably alone, and cold, and hungry…and scared. Fiyero took a deep breath and turned towards Glinda. "So you're going to join the Wizard after you graduate?"

Glinda shrugged and nodded slowly. "What else is there to do?" she asked him, her brow furrowed. "If I don't join him, he'll declare me as wicked as she is." She caught her breath, and quickly corrected herself. "As wicked as he says she is, I mean." Glinda suppressed the tiny part of her that was also saying that she wanted to be as celebrated as the Wizard.

Fiyero turned away, nodding. He understood, of course. "So what are we going to do now?"

Glinda looked slightly surprised. "Do? What is there to do?"

Fiyero stood up and began pacing between the beds. "I have to do something…" he muttered. He stopped, and turned to face Glinda. "I'm going to go find her."

Glinda looked at him like he were crazy. "_What?_" she breathed out.

"I'm going to go find her." He began to nod to himself. "She needs my help. I'll find her, and we'll…I don't know, I'll explain it to the Wizard…or something…" he trailed off, turning away from Glinda. "I've got to find her…"

"Fiyero!" Glinda exclaimed, near tears again. She stood up. "Fiyero, you can't. You don't understand, it'd be crazy! Think about it for a moment, think rationally. You don't know if you'll find her. You don't know if she'll accept your help if you do find her. And then, if you find her, and she accepts your help, then what have you got? You're just as good as she is, in the eyes of the Wizard. He'll spread lies about you, too, and then you'll make it even more difficult for her – hiding one person is probably easier than hiding two. The only thing you'll provide for her is one more person to worry about."

Glinda made a good point, and both of them knew it. Fiyero chewed his lip. "Okay," he told Glinda after a moment. Glinda smiled slightly. She had Elphaba taken away already – she didn't want Fiyero taken away from her, too.

…

Elphaba stood in the open street, looking about her cautiously. Behind her was Cirnella's house. After a deep breath, she tucked the Grimmerie under one arm, and straddled the broom. Feeling scared (as it had only been the second time she had ridden it) she stood for nearly a minute, trying to work up the courage. Finally, she kicked off from the ground.

She loved the feeling of flying. She went higher, until she was almost certain that she blended in with the night. One-handed, she felt kind of like it was an accomplishment – doing a trick, or something. She smiled to herself, and leaned forward, telling the broom somehow to go forward. It did. It moved quickly, when she wanted it to…but she didn't really want to. The wind rushed through her hair, almost knocking her hat off. With still blurry vision, she looked down at the ground. No one was out yet – she loved that time. She remembered being eight years old, after everyone else had gone to bed, and going for long walks in the woods. She was never afraid of the woods like Nessa always was. Nessa was always terrified that a bear or some other wild animal would eat them – and if Nessa didn't want to go, it was unlikely Elphaba would ever be allowed to. It was hard to move Nessa through the woods anyway. Her wheelchair caught on the roots.

Elphaba had always liked the night better than the day when she was a child. It was harder during the day to be invisible. She had always been shy when she was younger, and hated when everyone would stare at her. She hated everyone asking her questions – always about her skin color, never about how old she was, or what she wanted to be when she grew up, like they asked Nessarose. Always why she was green.

The only person that never took notice of her when she wanted him to was her father. Oh, he noticed her whenever Nessa needed to be taken care of, and he noticed her when he saw something of her mother's laying around…that hurt the most. When he noticed her then. There was only resentment when he noticed Elphaba after seeing something of her mother's.

That was why she always loved night. At night, no one saw her, and she wanted to be seen by no one. She was certain there were wild animals in the woods – she had seen them before. But she hadn't run upon seeing them, and they hadn't run upon seeing her, and they had an understanding that way. She preferred animals to humans anyway, they treated her as if she were just like them, and they weren't afraid of her, and they accepted her. Animals were so unlike humans.

Elphaba stopped thinking about her childhood. It didn't matter, anymore; she could have had the most loving family in the world and it wouldn't change where she was at. She slowed her broom down as she realized that wasn't true. If her father _did_ accept her, she could have gone to him immediately after all of…this. He was extremely influential; he was the governor of Munchkinland! He could fix everything. Elphaba slowed down even more. He still could fix everything, she thought to herself. She stopped her broom completely and it was still, hovering. If she went to her father…and just asked for his help…he would help her, he'd _have_ to. His own daughter? He might not love her as much as he loved Nessa, that was nearly certain, and he might resent her because of what she did to her younger sister and her mother, what with the milkflowers, that was definite, but…she was his daughter.

She thought for a moment, and then kept going. He might help her, and she could have everything back the way it was. He might not, and she could very well be caught. It didn't matter. She wouldn't go to him. She'd have to be completely desperate to ever want his help in anything.

…

Recognizing where she needed to stop flying and start walking, she made a clean dive for the street. She swung one of her legs over before she had completely touched the ground and stumbled a bit as she landed. She got the Grimmerie out and opened it. She had stashed Cirnella's instructions inside of it, and she got them out and read them again. She was going in the right direction…but it was odd. She was heading into town, and not out of it, where the homes were. She pushed a brief thought from her mind that Cirnella and Kint could possibly be telling her to go to someone's house who would want her captured, and kept following the directions.

A little while later, Elphaba stopped in front of the address Cirnella had given her and shook her head. "This can't be it," Elphaba murmured. She checked the address again. The numbers matched. She could see the sky gaining the slightest twinge of pink. Within the next hour, people would be waking up, going to work. She looked back up at the building she was supposed to be at. It was a blacksmith's shop – the man made the weapons the Wizard's army used. He worked for the Wizard. She checked the instructions again desperately. She must have made a wrong turn, or _something_…

She heard the squeak of the door opening, and her head jerked up. She was immediately frozen into place, and she saw a very large man with a balding head, his clothes ragged and stained. Their eyes met for a moment, and he squinted at her. "Who are you?" he demanded.

She didn't say anything, but then remembered who she was and looked down hurriedly, pulling her hat over her face quickly. "Mistake," she mumbled. "Sorry." Trying to look as if it were completely normal to be carrying around a broom, she clutched her things in her arms and turned to go.

"Stop."

Her eyes widened, but she didn't look at him. He came down the steps to his shop and walked very close to her. She grew very tense as he peered at her, feeling his breath upon her neck. Unintentionally, she leaned away from him slightly, still looking in the opposite direction.

"Well, I'll be," the man said wondrously, nearly frightened. "Dillamond was saying it, I didn't know if it was so…" he walked back up the steps, and she didn't watch him. It was silent for a moment, and Elphaba hoped that he would just go back inside, she'd go back to Cirnella's or something, even if the man had mentioned Dillamond, this had to be a mistake…

"Well, don't just stand there. You have instructions to come in, so come in." She looked up at him just as he walked inside the building. She hesitated a moment, and then, seeing it grow brighter every second, walked in the building.

…

A/N: Sorry I didn't do an author's note last chapter! I forgot. This one is for this one and last one…

PinkElphaba: Thanks for the compliments, and I'm awfully glad that it's not like what you were thinking of!

Fortinbras, Dave the L's Gal: Thanks for reviewing!

Lyndalion16: I'm not sure if Cirnella and Kint will come back! I know they probably won't be main characters, but they might come back…no, I don't know actually, don't listen to me…

Blufair: Thank you! You must be excelling in English or something, you read into stories very well. (You probably don't even know what I'm talking about…) You always describe everything so perfectly…like, what's happening, or rather, why it's happening. If anyone needs any clarification on why I put something in, just ask this person, I'm sure they know a lot better than I do…

Anna Marie Raven: Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like the Dr. Dillamond thing, I've always liked that character…

Jemima: Yea! I'm glad you're here, I was hoping some reviewers from my last story would turn up! Yes, I'm quite proud of my nice long chapters. : ) Glad to see you again!


	5. Chapter 5

Elphaba shut the door behind her, registering the bell that rang when she did. She eyed the shop suspiciously. It had guns, and arrows, and other forms of weapons that she wasn't entirely comfortable being around. Their was a staircase in the back that the man was already heading up. "Come on, I'm open soon," he told her.

Against her better judgment, she followed him, still holding her broom and book. The staircase was steep, but not very long. They turned a quick corner on the stairs, and he stopped. She stopped a few steps down when he did, and he turned around to look down at her.

"Don't go near the window, don't come downstairs, and don't make any noise. If you hear anyone coming up, I don't know, hide under the bed or something. I'll bring you something to eat, later." He instructed strictly. He didn't seem mean – he just didn't seem to care about her much. "I'm Sillnin, by the way."

"Elphaba," she replied, and he went into the room a little bit more, giving her an opportunity to also come upstairs. It was small, with a low ceiling that ended just a foot above Elphaba's head. There was a small bed set against one wall, a table and two chairs. A bathroom was in the back. The side of the room facing the street had a window overlooking it – there was no curtain on it, and Elphaba noted that she would have to nearly sit under it the entire time to avoid being seen. Everything was slightly messy, and looked like he hadn't cleaned up in a week or so. He nodded to her questioningly. "All right?"

She nodded again. "Yes. Thank you."

He waved away the thanks. "I'll check on you later." With that, he went back downstairs to get ready for the day.

Elphaba waited until she knew he was downstairs, then set her hat, book, and broom on the table delicately. Looking around a second time, she went to the window and peered out. It was already light, and she guessed it to be about five in the morning. She couldn't read the signs across the street on the other shops, but there were many, all right next to each other. Elphaba rubbed her eyes, realizing she was tired. She went back to the bed and lay on top of it, taking her cloak off and spreading it on top of her. She rolled over and fell asleep.

She was jolted awake about an hour or so later, hearing the bell ring. She sat up, pulling her knees in towards her. She quietly listened to Sillnin and his customer downstairs. He was trying to sell them something, but they weren't entirely interested. They left after a few minutes.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and realized that it was much lighter than it was. It was already fairly sunny, though the sunrise wasn't completely gone yet. She let herself think about where she would be if she were back at Shiz. She would have just woken up, and would probably be getting a little bit of studying in before Glinda woke up and ruined her quiet time. Would Glinda still be attending classes? Dr. Dillamond said that she was now a hero. Would she be with the Wizard, then? Was Glinda still as popular as she had been?

And what about her sister? Was she okay? Elphaba had always taken care of her sister, and Nessa had always been quite dependent on her. Elphaba hoped that she was getting along okay. She couldn't imagine how Nessa would react when she read the paper, and heard the rumors. Elphaba closed her eyes. Would she believe them? Elphaba hoped not…but she wasn't sure. Nessa had always treated Elphaba almost like a servant, as that had practically been what she was. They were affectionate most of the time, and Elphaba knew that Nessa liked her, at least, but she had always, somehow, looked down upon her. Did she look down upon her enough to believe everything the Wizard told them? Elphaba opened her eyes again. She didn't know.

At noon, the weather was beautiful outside of the room – inside, it was very hot. She had brought a chair to the far side of the room, where it was mostly shady, but it was very humid. Elphaba wished she could be at Shiz again…her, Glinda, Fiyero, Nessarose, and Boq would all be outside of Shiz, walking around…it was lunchtime there. She wanted to go back…with Glinda's help, she was starting to be less hated. One of Glinda's friends had even talked to her a few days before she had left, and she was being nice about it, too, no rude comments. Her skin color hadn't even been mentioned.

Elphaba heard someone coming upstairs, and, remembering Sillnin's instructions, stood up hurriedly, but then heard him call out, "It's just me, Sillnin."

She stayed standing, and he came back upstairs with a tray of food. "I get it delivered," he explained. As he went to put the food on the table, she quickly cleared off her things and set them on the bed. He set the tray down on the circular table, and, to her surprise, sat down. She wavered for a moment, not sure if he wanted her to join or not, but then pulled the chair in the shade over to the table.

He was already eating, and gestured towards a sandwich. She took one and took a bite. It tasted very good.

He was silent as he ate, and she followed his lead. After a few moments, though, they both heard the bell that meant someone was there. He quickly stood up. "Be quiet," he reminded her, and went back downstairs.

He didn't have very many customers, and this was only his fourth for the day. She half-listened while eating, and heard Sillnin greet the customer. "Good afternoon, officer," she heard him say.

She immediately tensed up, dropping the food she held. She stood up in a rush, and the chair made a noise as it scooted backwards. She grabbed it, her heart beating, her palms sweating. _Did they hear that_? She wondered, anxious.

If they did, neither one gave any notice. "Good afternoon," the other man said curtly. Elphaba was breathing quickly, and raised a shaking hand to her temple, resting her hand on the side of her head. "Do you have the Wizard's order?"

"Oh yes, just a moment." She heard some rustling downstairs as he pulled out something heavy. "Here you are. Took me awhile to make, he did order a lot."

_What are you doing?_ She thought frantically. _Don't make conversation, get him out of here!_

"We're getting as many weapons as we can – he's calling in many reinforcements to catch the Witch. Everyone's working off-duty."

Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from gasping loudly.

"Well, these should work well. Some of the finest metal right there."

She heard whatever it was being passed from Sillnin to the officer. "Thank you," the officer told Sillnin. "I'm told that you were already paid?"

"Yes, when they ordered them they paid me."

"All right then, have a nice day."

"And you," she heard Sillnin call out as the bell rang.

Elphaba, realizing she could be seen, ran to the window and stood directly next to it, flattening herself against the wall. Her heart was still pounding as she closed her eyes briefly, trying to regain composure. She opened them as she heard Sillnin mounting the stairs. He reached the landing and stopped in surprise when he saw the look on her face. "What did you expect?" he asked her wryly. "I'm a blacksmith. I make weapons for everyone, especially the Gale Force."

She nodded, her heartbeat not yet back to normal. He attempted to smile at her. "The guns weren't made very well," he whispered confidentially. The joke was lost on Elphaba, knowing that however poorly they were made, they were made to hunt her. He looked out the window. "It's all right," he said. "He's gone."

She stayed still, and he registered it. He moved the table out of view of the window.

…

That night, Elphaba was eager to get out Sillnin's shop. He offered that Elphaba could stay there, but she knew he didn't have the space or patience to keep someone hidden in his shop. She declined as usual. She wasn't comfortable there anyway, when the officer from the Gale Force came it had scared her to death. She couldn't be comfortable around that many people anyway. Elphaba could tell that Sillnin would be relieved to get her out, too – not everyone could be as helpful as Cirnella was.

She put her hat on, and took the Grimmerie. He carried her broom for her down the stairs, and she followed him. Before she left, he peered out the door – it was glass. "There's no one out there right now," he told her, handing her the broom, "but that may change. You need to be careful. Are you sure you don't want to stay a little bit later?"

She cleared her throat. "No, I'm just going to go now – I have to see Dr. Dillamond, don't I?"

He nodded, remembering. As Dr. Dillamond hadn't told her where to go after Sillnin's, she needed some more help from him.

He let her out, and cleared his throat. "Um…good luck, all right?"

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

He nodded, and waved a small goodbye, closing the door to her. She looked out onto the street. It was very quiet, except for the lingering sound of the bell ringing. She contemplated riding her broom, but decided to get a little bit out of town before she did. She started walking the same way she had come, but then realized that she didn't know where she was going. She quickly looked down the other street, but quickly remembered how blurry her vision was. She remembered that the Grimmerie had shown her where Dr. Dillamond lived last time, and, after contemplating for a moment, threw her broom next to her and kneeled down, opening the Grimmerie. She flipped through the pages, looking for the page she had used as a map to Dr. Dillamond's house. She found it and muttered the words on the page, feeling entrancing. She waved her hands over it quickly, and the page turned to a map. She studied it for a minute, and then, with her head snapping up, heard voices. Her pulse quickened, and she slammed the Grimmerie shut with a bang, shoving it under her cape. The voices were louder, and behind her, and she could tell they had turned the corner. She grabbed her broom quickly, knowing they could see her. Should she ride it and try to get away? No, she'd just walk away quickly…

"HEY! Who's that?" She heard a boy ask. He sounded drunk, and probably her age, maybe a little bit older. She didn't turn around, and was incredibly scared. She started to run the way she had been going, knowing that wasn't the right way to Dr. Dillamond's.

They heard them laugh hysterically, and could tell that they were both male. She heard them start to pound after her, and she tried to run faster. She didn't have much of a head start, however, and one grabbed her arm – the one holding the Grimmerie to her chest closely. She was jerked around as she dropped the Grimmerie, and kept her eyes down, heart beating furiously, sweat beading on her forehead. _Don't look at me_, she thought desperately. She could smell his breath, and it definitely showed that he had, in fact, been drinking. They were both still laughing, as the other caught up with the one who was still holding on to her arm. "Who are you?" the guy holding her arm demanded humorously. She tried to pull away, scanning the ground for the Grimmerie, but he was strong. "Let _go_," she murmured.

They both laughed. "You're pretty," he told her, getting even closer to her. She backed up a little bit, and bumped into the Grimmerie she hadn't seen because of her bad eyes. She stepped on it, trying to make sure she didn't lose it. It was very dark, and she looked at one of her hands. She didn't look green – well, she didn't look normal, but she wasn't completely green…She hoped, in their intoxicated state, that they wouldn't be able to tell who she was.

"Nice hat," the other one said. They both laughed obnoxiously, very hard. She took the opportunity to twist away from him. He let go, and she quickly bent down to grab the Grimmerie.

One of them moved behind her, blocking her escape. She started to run to the side once she had the Grimmerie, but, again, she was grabbed. The boy behind her put an arm around her waist, hugging her from the back. "Don't go anywhere," he crooned. The other boy laughed meanly. She took an elbow and jabbed it into his side, making him double over and let go. Apparently, the other one got a glimpse of her skin.

"She's _green!"_

She stopped in her tracks, throwing a glance over her shoulder. Both stared at her in fear, and one shouted, "It's the Wicked Witch! Someone come help, it's the Wicked Witch!" hearing him shout, she ran again, then jumped on top of her broom, going upwards quickly. She felt her hair fly behind her, and she went higher and higher, and then hovered for the briefest moment, looking down at the ground. They were watching her, but seeing her stop, both ran back to where they had came.

…

A/N: Hooray for exciting parts! I need help coming up with names - I pondered over a name for Sillnin (by the way, I absolutely hate that name, he sounds like the devil or something) for about ten minutes. I can't guarantee I'll use them, but if anyone wants to suggest some good names they've made up (you know, in the style of 'Elphaba' 'Fiyero' 'Nessarose') for both males and females – tell me which one it's for – I'd really appreciate it, and possibly will use it in the future. Not just in this chapter, too, if you think up a good name later on feel free to tell me.

Blufair: Yes, that's what I was going for! With the father thing, I mean. Thanks! By the way, getting your review prompted me to write this chapter. : ) I got excited when I saw it!

Valiera: Let me first just say that I got very excited when I got your review in my email and saw how long it was. : ) Thanks for all the compliments, I very much appreciate them! Yes, I think everyone forgets, to some extent, how old they all are...I also try to allude to the fact that she's green, because _I_ always forget on that one…anyway, thanks so much!

Anna Marie Raven: First off, I should tell you that I absolutely adore your name. But anyway, thanks! Lol I do that a lot, too…saying things out loud, I mean. Thank you so much!

Lyndalion16: Thanks! (I say thanks a lot) I'll try to update quick as I can!


	6. Chapter 6

Elphaba knocked quickly on Dr. Dillamond's door. She looked over her shoulder nervously and then knocked again, not stopping. "Dr. Dillamond," she called, whispering, knowing he couldn't hear her. She stopped for a second and listened, then kept knocking. She stopped as the door opened, then flew past him into the house.

Dr. Dillamond quickly shut the door. "Elphaba?" he asked.

Her hands were shaking, and she set the Grimmerie and her broom down on his table. "I was seen," she blurted. "They're going to tell everybody."

Dr. Dillamond took a look at her scared face. "What happened?" he asked her.

She started to pace. "I was down the street after leaving Sillnin's, and I heard two men, and they grabbed me, but then I elbowed one and they saw my skin and so they knew it was me, and they let me go and then I flew off on my broom and they saw me and then they ran."

She was speaking quickly, and Dr. Dillamond could hardly understand her. "Are you sure they knew it was you?"

"How many green people do you know?"

Dr. Dillamond nodded, his head spinning. "All right, calm down. Do you think that they followed you?"

She shook her head. "They ran off in the other direction." She wrung her hands. "But maybe they followed me after that. I should go, I should…"

She started to grab her stuff, but Dr. Dillamond grabbed her arm. "It's okay," he told her firmly. She was still shaking, and he gently guided her to the couch to sit down. "You're okay."

…

She was up early the next morning, just after sunrise. She had insisted on sleeping on the couch this time, and he took the bed. She raised herself to a sitting position, listening for Dr. Dillamond. She heard him in the kitchen and got up to go see him.

He was sitting at the table reading the paper, and he jumped guiltily when he saw her, throwing the paper down. She stayed in the doorway. "Is it in there?" she asked him.

He knew what she meant. "No – well, I don't think so. I haven't seen it yet, and I would think it would be in the article about you – I mean, it would be in the first…" he trailed off, not certain how to fix all of what he had said.

She pretended not to hear most of it. "It's not in there, then?"

He shook his head. "No."

She took a deep breath, relieved. "I think they were drunk," she told him. He could see the hint of a smile on her face. "Maybe they forgot."

He smiled. "I'm glad."

…

Nessa sat at her desk, studying quietly. It was four days after her sister had become an outlaw, and she was still not yet at terms with it. Working on schoolwork made it easier; she could forget. Glinda had not come to see her again, she blushed when she saw Nessa in the halls, and didn't want to talk with her. Nessa was hurt when she first saw that; she liked Glinda – and wanted Glinda to like her.

There was a noise in the hall, and she heard Madame Morrible's voice. She couldn't make out what she was saying, she was whispering. Madame Morrible hadn't come back at school since before Elphaba had left, and, remembering what Glinda had said about what she had done, Nessa felt her face heat with rage. She didn't do anything, though. She expected Madame Morrible to come see her.

Nessa was right. In a few moments, the door was flung open. She never knocked. "Nessarose," she said, her tone falsely polite.

Nessa could sense something was up, and she wheeled her chair around to face her. "Yes?" she asked, her tone the same.

"Nessarose…" Madame Morrible paused delicately, looking at one of Nessa's trinkets on her dresser next to the door. "Given the circumstances, I believe that we're going to have to move you out."

Nessa stared at her, tilting her head to the right. She had expected consolation, or something like that. That her sister had abandoned her. That she had sent a letter to her father that he hadn't yet returned. That she was shunned by her classmates and her teachers, that no one would talk to her. Now what was she telling Nessa?

"You want me to move out?"

"Yes, I just don't think this will work out here. You can move into one of the smaller rooms…perhaps share a room with one of your classmates."

Nessa looked away from her face. She didn't like living next to Madame Morrible anyway. "Why?"

It had escaped before Nessa could think, but she looked back at Madame Morrible's face. She knew why. She wanted to hear Madame Morrible say it.

Madame Morrible took a breath, looking irritated. "I don't have to _justify_ myself to a student, Miss Nessarose. You'll be moving out tonight. I'll find accommodations for you elsewhere. Pack your things." With a sweeping flourish, she exited the room, slamming the door behind her.

Nessa looked at the door with a rage, then picked up her quill and threw it against the wall. _Damn my sister_, she thought angrily.

…

That night, after Nessa had her belongings in boxes, a couple of staff members moved her things down into a new room. She followed, wheeling herself behind them. They didn't speak to her. After going down a few hallways, they stopped in front of a room. One of the staff members got a key and opened the door, setting the boxes inside the door. They moved out of the way for her, and, after giving them a quick glance, wheeled herself in.

Nessa looked over her shoulder to thank them, but they were already heading back. She turned back to her room. It was half the size of her old room, with a small bed, a desk with words carved in it, and stark white walls. It barely left any room for her chair, and had no window. She crossed her arms sullenly, realizing for the first time that she had liked being treated like a queen by Madame Morrible. This wasn't fair.

…

Glinda smiled a big, fake smile. "Flying around on cleaning appliances, I don't know what's wrong with her. How could I possibly tell you?"

The group she was sitting in all laughed, and Glinda tossed her hair and giggled. She was becoming used to these inquiries about Elphaba, and she was beginning to feel numb to them. She was even beginning to enjoy the attention – something she hated admitting. But she had to notice it…she was even more popular now that everyone was calling her a hero.

She was fielding questions about Elphaba from a group of students at lunchtime. Fiyero wasn't there. He had excused himself when her name was brought up.

An old friend of hers, Shenshen, spoke up, looking nervous. "Do you think she could…you know…come and kill us or something?"

They all giggled, but none thought it was funny. Glinda smiled at her. "I don't think so," she told her, trying to seem kind.

"You don't think she'd come and kidnap you, do you?"

Glinda shook her head. "No, I don't think so," she said. "She wouldn't come back here. There's too many people."

"I wonder where she is," a girl that Glinda didn't know very well pondered.

"I'll bet she's here," the boy sitting next to Glinda teased.

"Hiding under your bed!" the first girl shrieked.

They laughed again, and Glinda laughed with them. It was a good question, though. Where _could_ she be?

…

That evening, Elphaba lay on the couch, staring at Dr. Dillamond sideways. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

He crossed from the kitchen doorway to the chair, scratching behind his ear. "About what?"

"Any developments. About me. Or Glinda. Just…anything I might be interested in."

"It's pretty much the same thing all the time. Making up a few new rumors to keep it interesting, things like that."

Elphaba turned her face away from him.

"Elphaba, why don't you stay here? Just a few more nights. I'm not sure…I'm not sure if I have many more people for you to go to," he admitted.

She stared back at him. His Goat's face was very honest, and she didn't want to get him into any trouble. "I really can't," she told him. "It's too dangerous. When you run out of people, I'll think of something. I'll be fine. I'm the Wicked Witch," she told him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I can do anything."

He laughed. "I forgot," he said sadly.

She folded her green hands and leaned back against his couch. "So where do I go next?"

…

A/N: This chapter sucks. Sorry.

Sparkling Patronus: First off, I like your screen name! Hooray for Harry Potter! And thanks very much! Yeah, I'm kind of assuming how _I_ would be in that situation…and then realizing that I would be cowering in a corner so then I just try to do what makes for a good story. : )

PinkElphaba: I'm not going to say I'm not slightly relieved that you said that, but seriously, you should write it! I admit it, when you first told me that you were planning on writing a fic that would have basically this idea, I went and looked at your writing and did a face-scrunching moment as I realized that your fics were really quite good – and a lot better than mine! You should write it. Anyway, I went to that name site (I knew which one you were talking about, even though the URL didn't work) and you were right! Thanks!

Blufair: Yeah, the whole glasses thing always made me mad. I wear glasses (I tried contacts but didn't like them…in case you're interested…don't know why I told you that), so I guess I probably pay more attention to that kind of stuff than most people. So yes. She now has blurry vision (but I can fix that, can't I? Foreshadow, foreshadow…). Thanks for the name suggestion! Just tried that, that's awesome! Too perfect, thanks much!

Anna Marie Raven: Thanks! The musical does kind of make light of…everything, actually. I love it! But it kind of took the book and made it fluffy. Not too fluffy, obviously, as she is hated and all that stuff, but lighter than the book. Sorry, random rant…but anyway, thanks!

Jemima: Lol thanks. : ) My names are the products of seeing a random object/word and going hm…what can I do with the name "olive" (Hence: Oveel). And…I don't know, just stupid stuff like that. And I like Elphie better, too. But that's just because I like misunderstood people better. Glinda's probably a more developed character, but I think people being misunderstood is just so sad.


	7. Chapter 7

Elphaba stashed the paper of instructions Dr. Dillamond handed her inside the pages of the Grimmerie and then set it on the ground. She listened to Dr. Dillamond further.

"Tell them I sent you. I…" - he looked slightly uncomfortable all of the sudden – "I think they'll believe you.

"I don't have anyone else to send you to," he admitted, "but I'll think of someone and let you know some way – unless you'd like to stay here another day so I can be able to send you to two people?"

She shook her head. "I can't do that."

He stared at her for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Okay. Don't leave there until you do hear from me, then."

She nodded. "I won't."

Dr. Dillamond looked down and cleared his throat, and in a thick voice said, "Be careful."

Elphaba forced a smile, and moved forward to clasp his hands in hers. They were rough, and cold. He looked at her, and they smiled at each other. "I'll be fine," she promised. "With the Grimmerie on my side, I'lll…I'll be fine."

Dr. Dillamond chuckled, and pulled his hands away to pat her on the back. "I worry about you, Elphaba," he told her. Her expression grew serious, and he walked past her as he spoke, her eyes following him. "You really do need to be careful. The Wizard will stop ant nothing to find you. He – " Dr. Dillamond laughed bitterly, "he's even forgotten about rounding up the Animals for now."

"We can still stop him! If we get more people – and Animals – on our side, you, and me, and anyone else can defeat him!" she finished desperately, for Dr. Dillamond was shaking his head.

"No, Elphaba. You need to worry about _you_ right now. Let me worry about myself."

Elphaba wanted to pretend like she didn't need to worry about herself, but had to live in reality. "Well, I cause a distraction for all of you, at least," she offered with a small smile.

Dr. Dillamond looked into her sincere, green face and was overwhelmed by how sorry he was for her. He gave her a small smile in return. "I'll see you in a few days," he promised, "possibly even tomorrow."

"What if I just come here?" Dr. Dillamond looked hopeful for a moment, but Elphaba rushed on. "Just to get the directions, I mean."

"No, that's too dangerous, I don't want you making more trips than you have to."

Elphaba was about to argue, but then changed her mind, accepting his answer. She glanced out the window. It was dark. It was time for her to leave.

Dr. Dillamond looked outside also, then turned back to Elphaba with a regretful smile. She returned the smile, then hugged him tightly. He patted her thin body on the back slowly, thinking that the next time they saw each other might be their last. He had almost helped as much as he could. Elphaba needed to learn how to fend for herself.

They broke apart, and she stared into his kind, worried eyes for a moment, but then turned away to gather her belongings. She set her hat atop her head, then carried the Grimmerie and her broom. Dr. Dillamond walked to the door, waiting for her. While he knew he would see her again in a matter of days, this goodbye was very hard. It would (as far as he knew) be the last time he would see her for more than a few minutes, and the last time he would see her alone.

She walked to the door, holding her stuff, and they stared at each other for another moment. He opened the door for her, and she stepped onto his porch. The chilly wind whipped her cape and hair around, and with her green skin and pointy profile, even Dr. Dillamond had to admit she looked menacing – until she smiled. He could see her youth and naïveté, then, and he wanted to shield her from the world and all of the horrible people in it. But how could he protect her, when he couldn't even protect himself? He hugged her again, briefly, then stepped back inside. He had offered earlier to walk her there, but Elphaba was very insistent upon doing this alone. Elphaba looked down for a moment, then back at him. "Bye," she whispered.

"I'll see you in a few days," he reminded her.

She nodded, then turned her back towards him, walking towards her new savior. She heard the door shut behind her.

…

Talking about Elphaba – the Wicked Witch of the West – had not yet grown old at Shiz. The students had varying feelings on the subject of her – some were scared, some thought it was funny, some had a very knowing air ("I knew there was something wrong with her when I saw the green skin"), and a very select few missed her horribly, and knew the truth.

Fiyero could only endure so much ridicule about Elphaba. His friends were of the sort that thought it was funny, they were invincible college students, after all, why should they be so afraid of a skinny girl who was their age? Athven, the lone girl of the group, ran to the front of the other four and walked backwards in front of them, so that she was facing them. She was beautiful, it was true, but the sneering expression on her face changed her soft, doe expressions. Fiyero hated her long black hair. Every time he saw her from across the room he had to look again, because he thought the first time that it might be Elphaba. "I heard," she began with self-importance, "that she's in love with a Pig." When she got puzzled expressions from the rest of the group, she added, "Why do you think she cared so much about that old goat teacher we had, and that lion?"

"We should have beat her up when we had the chance," Leighev, the oldest of the group laughed. He was tall and lanky, with dark brown hair and the shadings of a mustache that was taking him awhile to grow in.

Fiyero looked at him with an annoyed, and slightly shocked expression. "She's a _girl_."

Leighev laughed again. "Oh, who knows for sure about that one?" The other three they were walking down the hall with snickered. "Who cares anyway? She's a witch." He paused, then added with a mischievous grin, "Or he."

Fiyero stopped, and the others stopped also. "You coming?" Athven asked him.

He ignored her. "You didn't even know her."

Everyone laughed, though it was slightly uneasy, as if they weren't sure if it was a joke or not.

He stared right at Leighev, not taking his eyes off of him. Leighev stopped laughing and stared at Fiyero curiously. "Come on…we're talking about the Wicked Witch of the West here."

"Stop calling her that!" Fiyero let the volume of his voice raise.

Everyone was silent now. They were alone in the hall, class had started ten minutes ago – they liked to skip a lot. Leighev glared at him. "You liked that green witch, didn't you."

Fiyero flew at him, tackling him. He felt nothing, knew nothing, just to throw blows at the person underneath him. He heard a few shouts, a scream, and quickly felt himself being hoisted from the ground, coming up still swinging.

There were more people in the halls now, and he caught a glimpse of a bloodied-nose Leighev, and felt the bruise already forming on his cheek where Leighev had thrown at least one lucky hit. A professor was yelling at him; he didn't care, he didn't hear. He would have broken free and started hitting Leighev again, but it wasn't an option; they were far down the hall by now. "_What_ is going on here."

It was not a question. He heard the shrieking voice of Madame Morrible coming down the hall, and everyone parted, leaving him at the center. He felt fully exposed, messed up and bruised, but he stared at her angrily. She was part of the reason for this.

She stopped when she saw him, and gestured towards him. "Come," she demanded. She turned and went back the way she came, and, having no better option, Fiyero followed her.

…

"Sit."

Fiyero sat.

She began to walk around her desk slowly. "Fiyero…

"You knew our Miss Elphaba, didn't you."

He looked up at her in slight surprise, but did not show it. He didn't say anything, but she didn't require an answer.

"Sometimes, the things we want in life are not within our grasp. And sometimes…" she paused, thinking. "They're right down the hall."

She looked at him to see if he understood. He did.

"You can not defend Miss Elphaba any longer. She is no longer a student here; she is no longer the person that you knew. She is no longer a _person_. She's a witch."

Fiyero's throat tightened, but still, he did not say anything.

"Miss Glinda has been promised a position working for the Wizard when she is older – if she keeps her mouth shut. I'm sure you have been told, though."

Fiyero stopped to wonder how she knew, but Madame Morrible did not look at him. "If you, also, keep your mouth _shut_, and agree to what we – the Wizard and myself – are saying…I would be prepared to offer you a position also."

"What position?" It was a reflex, and Fiyero already regretted asking.

Madame Morrible smiled slightly to herself. She had won. "Oh…_captain_ of the guard, perhaps?"

Fiyero licked his lips, thinking. Madame Morrible noticed this, and added, "There isn't an alternative. It's this, or you will be captured and put in jail with your dear friend."

Fiyero glared at her. He struggled with his mind for a moment, but knew he was defeated. He was done. Hating himself and everything that had happened, he said, "I'll take it."

…

A/N: SO SORRY! I can't do personal author's notes this chapter, it's late, but thank you all so much for reviewing, I very much appreciate it, and I'm SO SORRY that it took me so long! Writer's block. SO SORRY!


	8. Chapter 8

Elphaba set her broomstick on the ground, then pounded on the door. She put her head down, hoping no one could see her skin, and praying that they were still awake. It was early in the night, yet.

The man answered the door, and, as she had with the first person she had went to, Elphaba thrust the note from Dr. Dillamond in his face and waited for the man to take it.

She felt it being taken from her grasp, and heard silence. It was taking much too long for him to read the note, and she stared down at her feet, her black hair making a curtain around her face, her heart pounding, still scared of people.

"Amaurine…?" he called into the house, slightly fearfully. The door was shut in her face.

Slightly confused, Elphaba stared back up at the door, wondering if she should knock again. She could hear footsteps inside of the house, but no one was making any move to open the door again.

She stood there for at least a minute, though it felt like much longer than that. Elphaba raised her hand to knock again, but put it down quickly, deciding against it. She looked behind her, pondering over going back to Dr. Dillamond's house. It was then that the door was opened again.

She jerked her head back to the person at the door. It was a woman this time. She looked to be about thirty, and was a few inches shorter than Elphaba, and had curly, frizzy sandy blonde hair. Her eyes were small and green, and she had on a white sleeping gown with pink stripes woven into it. She smiled, though her eyes did not. "Dillamond sent you?"

Elphaba was shocked still for a moment, caught off guard. She cleared her throat. "Yes."

The woman stared at her up and down with a slightly disgusted look, which would make anyone else feel self-conscious, but Elphaba was used to it. She usually said something to people like this, but this woman was helping her. Elphaba couldn't afford to be herself around her. She stared humbly at the ground.

The woman looked back at Elphaba's face. "Elphaba, is it?" she asked, and her tone seemed to indicate that she had accepted her.

Elphaba nodded, and the woman put her hand out for Elphaba to shake. She had a weak grip. "I'm Amaurine."

Elphaba nodded again, and Amaurine turned around, walking back into her house. Elphaba wavered on the porch for a moment, then bent down to grab her broom and came inside, shutting the door behind her. The man who had opened the door was sitting on the couch in the living room. He was stocky, with strong-looking arms and short, straight brown hair combed forward to hide his balding head, though he was probably about the same age as Amaurine. He had on a brown sleeping shirt and pants, with grey slippers.

Elphaba took a look about the house. It was big, much bigger than any other place she had ever been in before – well, of houses. It had high ceilings, and lots of sleek, expensive-looking furniture. She was very intimidated by all of it, and was, not for the first time, very conscious of how shabby her own clothes were, and felt awkward standing there while holding a broom in one hand and a book in the other.

Amaurine gestured towards the man on the couch, who got up to greet her. He was nearly a head taller than she was, and she started to back up as he came near her, but then realized that he didn't mean to harm her. He extended his hand, and Elphaba dropped her broom on the floor to shake it. "I'm Rojaro. Terribly sorry that I slammed the door in your face, but I'm sure you can understand."

She nodded, not looking in his face. He was certainly intimidating, but seemed kind.

Amaurine stared at the two, then ran a hand through her hair. "Let me put your...things by the door," she suggested, and crossed back to Elphaba to get her broom. Elphaba let her handle it, not pleased with anyone else touching her things. She followed Amaurine back to the door and took her hat off, setting it on top of the Grimmerie. Amaurine stared at Elphaba's broom for a moment, but then set it down, turning away. Elphaba stood by the door for another moment, feeling intrusive.

"Why don't you sit down?" Rojaro said. "Let's talk."

Elphaba stared at them both, but they went to one of the couches and sat down, staring at her expectantly. Awkwardly, she gave a short glance back at her hat, which, for some reason, she wanted back on her head, but then walked slowly to the couch opposite the one they were sitting on and sat down primly.

"So is this what you've been doing since…"

"Yes." Elphaba answered them, not wanting to talk to them about anything.

"And Dr. Dillamond's been helping you this whole time?"

"Yes."

"Anyone else?"

"Just the people he's sent me to."

"Who are?"

Elphaba looked at them suspiciously, and Amaurine laughed. "We're just curious…you can't blame us."

Elphaba stared down. "No, I can't."

Amaurine stared at her sympathetically, and Rojaro cleared his throat. "How about we let you sleep? You've come a long way from Dillamond's."

Elphaba didn't look up, and he got up to get a blanket from upstairs. Amaurine smiled at her. "You'll be all right sleeping on the couch, correct?"

Elphaba nodded. She didn't care.

…

The next morning, Elphaba was up early. She was _not_ going to be sleeping when Dr. Dillamond came by – she wanted to see him again.

The sun had barely risen when Elphaba was awake, and she folded the blanket that she had used and set it on the back of the couch. She heard a noise from the second floor and squinted up the stairs blurrily, wondering if they were awake. After deciding that they weren't, she sat back down on the couch, thinking. Dr. Dillamond could only protect her for so long. How many more people could he have to send her to? How many more people had enough respect for him to shelter the most sought-out fugitive since…it struck Elphaba that she couldn't remember someone that had put this much fear in the hearts of Ozians as herself. She raised her eyebrows and took it in stride, not pondering over the fact too long. The point was, Dr. Dillamond could not have too many more people to send her to. The next person might be the last one. What was she going to do after that? She needed a plan.

She didn't have time to form one. Rojaro descended the steps quickly, and it gave her a start. She looked up at him, not squinting. She never squinted in front of people. He smiled. "Sleep well?" he asked, and Elphaba registered that he did not sound like he was speaking to a Wicked Witch. He sounded like he was just speaking to a regular person.

She nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

He smiled at her, then went into a hallway. He changed his mind and poked his head through the door again. "Want breakfast?"

Elphaba did, but hated imposing like this. She shook her head.

Fifteen minutes later, he walked back through the door with two plates. He gave one to a baffled Elphaba, and gave her a knowing smile. He did not eat with her though; he went back into the kitchen, leaving her alone on the couch with eggs and bacon.

Amaurine came downstairs about an hour later, long after both Rojaro and Elphaba were finished eating. Her face still had sleep written on it, but she gave a tight smile to Elphaba, then went back through the hallway that Rojaro had went into for the kitchen. Elphaba could hear muffled voices, but then they stopped talking. Amaurine came back into the living room. "When do you expect Dillamond?" she asked Elphaba.

Elphaba shrugged, wishing she could give her an answer. "Sometime today…I think." She tried to recall what he had said. "He said not to leave here until he did come."

Amaurine nodded, then stood up with a smile to her. "You're welcome here as long as you stay."

…

Nessa wheeled herself down the hall, ignoring the whispers that followed her. Some people pitied her; most were afraid of her. She as the Wicked Witch's sister, after all. Nessa's face burned, and she looked up from her shoes. Boq was walking in her direction.

"Boq!" she exclaimed. Boq looked embarrassed, but didn't pretend not to see her.

"Hi, Nessa," he said, trying to pass her without stopping.

"Wait," she said, slightly confused. She hadn't seen him for longer than a few seconds since her sister…well, did what she did, and she wanted to talk to him. She smiled half-heartedly. "We haven't seen each other in awhile."

"I know."

Nessa stared up at him for a long moment, and then shook her head, wheeling the way she had been going. "Fine."

"Nessa…"

Nessa didn't turn around. She was extremely hurt, but hardly blamed Boq. This, all of this, was Elphaba's fault. She knew, she _knew_, that Elphaba would come back for her, though. She waited every night for Elphaba to come burst through the window on that…broom, and take her away from this horrible school. But she wouldn't go. She wouldn't go with her when she came…it'd just be sort of nice to see her sister again. She had an image of her sister smiling at her, and she almost let out a sob, but suppressed it. She didn't do that.

A/N: Umm…I don't have anything to say. There was something that I was going to say in this author's note, but I forget what it is, so…I'll just say it next time.

Blufair: Thanks! I had fun writing Elphaba/Dillamond's interaction, even though as I read it I realized it wasn't terrific. Oh well! Thanks!

Kennedy Leigh Morgan: I adore your name. : ) Thanks so much!

Elphabafabalaelphiefae: Thank you! For everything, but especially the names. As you can see, I have used two of your names in this chapter. I like them a lot, they were great suggestions! Thank you so much! Oh, and yes, my characters are _definitely_ out of character…I don't really think Elphaba and Fiyero will ever get to have personalities. They're just there. ; )

Anonymous-cat: Thanks! Bwa ha, I suppose you must wait and see what Elphaba shall do…in a few chapters or so…yes.

Jemima: Yes! If this were a movie, there would be ominous music playing. Doo doo doo doo doo… (by the way, just in case you weren't clear, that was the ominous music. ;D )

Starsinthesky: I love Fiyero, too! I just want to…sing As Long As You're Mine with him! YES! And why thank you, I think you rock also.


	9. Chapter 9

Elphaba stayed in one of their guest bedrooms in the back, reading the Grimmerie. It was kind of boring, but better than sitting out there with Amaurine and Rojaro, fielding questions about the past week or so from them. She was unsure of whether or not she should be answering the questions thrown at her. Dr. Dillamond had said nothing about not telling anyone where she had been going, and she didn't want to be rude, so she told them when they asked – how far does Sillnin live, oh my, that encounter with Kint must have been _terrifying_, Dr. Dillamond is such a nice goat for doing all of this, etc. Elphaba thought them intrusive, and it made her dislike them – Amaurine, at least.

She found that she had been reading the words on the page without actually seeing any of them, and brought her eyes towards the window. It was dark, for it was late.

Dr. Dillamond hadn't come yet.

She twiddled her thumbs nervously. He _had_ said he'd come today, hadn't he? Something she had been avoiding all day, she let herself think of the worst. Had he been caught on his way over here? What if they had discovered where she was? What if they had discovered he had been hiding her? She took a deep breath and tried to put all of that out of her mind. She couldn't remember his exact words, too preoccupied with the fear of going to a new person's house. He had said to stay there until he came. Wasn't he supposed to come today, though? He knew that she didn't want to stay in the same place for too long, why would he take longer? Did he just have to _think_ of someone for her to stay with, or did he have to go and _ask_ them? As far as she knew, he hadn't asked anyone so far, just sent her to them. She had only stayed with two people, though – well, three, if you counted the current house. She flopped back on the bed, the Grimmerie still on her lap. She liked the room, it was spacious and bright, with very blue walls and a green chair in the corner, a yellow blanket on the bed. She sat up again and crawled to the head of the bed, her arms hanging over the headboard. She squinted out it to no prevail. It was too dark to see anything, though the moon shone down a little light on the backyard.

Elphaba sighed and closed the Grimmerie, deciding to go back into the living room. She got up and went back out the door, leaving the Grimmerie on the bed. She walked down the long hallway and back into the living room.

Amaurine and Rojaro were on the couch talking in hushed voices when she got out there, and they immediately stopped when they saw her. She barely noticed that she had interrupted them.

"Did Dr. Dillamond come yet?"

Amaurine opened her mouth to say something but Elphaba suddenly put her hand up in the air, shushing her – she had heard something outside. Unbeknownst to her, Amaurine and Rojaro exchanged guilty glances. Her head was cocked to one side, and she listened intently to what was outside of the front door. Her lips were parted slightly as she tried to hear.

She was about to ask them if they had heard anything, also, when a yell from outside stopped her breath and made her heart jump into her throat. "National Guard! Open this door at once!"

Elphaba wheeled around to face them, her eyes wide, the pitch in her voice an octave higher. "You _told them_!", for there was no doubt in her mind that they, themselves, had told the National Guard.

Her heart was pounding and she could hear the men on the other side banging on the door, as it was still locked. The expression in her eyes was wild as Amaurine and Rojaro both stood up, looking sympathetic.

"We had to," Amaurine explained softly. "We couldn't let you get away with this. And we couldn't risk our lives to save you for one night."

Elphaba was shocked still as Rojaro walked slowly to the door, his hands out in front of him, obviously scared of Elphaba. "Now, it's all right," he soothed her. "If you just go with them and explain everything – "

Elphaba watched, panicking, as he unlocked the door. The moment he did, though, she let out a frantic scream. "No!" She pointed to the lock with her long, green fingers and the door locked again. She ran to the door and grabbed her broom and pointed hat.

"Rojaro, grab her!"

Elphaba felt Rojaro's hand start to grasp her arm, but she twisted out of his hold firmly, shoving her hat on top of her head and running, running back to the room she had just spent the last hour in. She skidded on the clean, wooden floors and almost tripped, but kept going. She heard a loud _bang_ behind her as Rojaro got out of his shocked state and unlocked the door.

"Where did she go!"

"Come, follow me!"

Elphaba bolted inside the room and heard the door slam behind her of its own accord. She leapt on top of the bed and dropped the broom next to the Grimmerie, standing on top of the bed and getting her fingers under the glass pane of the window. The window probably hadn't been opened for years, but with a heave, shoved the window up, opening it.

The pounding of many feet came to the door then, and Elphaba bent down to grab the Grimmerie and the broom. She shoved the Grimmerie under one arm and held the broom in both, and, was dumbstruck for the smallest fraction of a second as she watched the door open. She turned back around before she could see anybody and stepped onto the ledge of the window, not wasting any time. She felt them close, too close to her, and heard many shouts. She gave them no time, and, gripping the broom tightly, jumped out of the window.

In the air, she jumped on top of it (having no time to do that when she was still on the ground), and it took her high up from the window. Her heart was still beating at way more than twice its normal rate, and her breathing had not yet returned to normal. She dared to look back down at the window she had just escaped from.

Her silhouette framed by the light of the moon, she cackled at them.

…

That night, Dr. Dillamond lay in bed, worried that Elphaba would have already left Amarine and Rojaro's. He had told her to stay there until he came, but he knew she was impatient. He needed to ask someone else to take her, and did not know who would.

The door to his house opened, and Dr. Dillamond sat up, hearing the perpetrator come in. He quickly got out of bed, brushing his clothes off. It had to be Elphaba, but what had happened? Why was she here? He went around the bed to the door, opening it hurriedly to greet her.

He gasped in spite of himself when there was not a green young woman in his living room, but three National Guardsmen. He swallowed, trying to keep calm. "Hello," he said, trying to sound surprised but not scared. "What brings you here?"

There were more men there, and they came in from outside at that moment – there had to be at least eight, now. Dr. Dillamond attempted a smile.

"What do you know about the Wicked Witch?"

Dr. Dillamond caught his breath. He had known it was about her, but didn't want to believe it. His chin trembled with fear for his former student. "Has she been captured?" he asked quietly.

The man remained expressionless, and Dr. Dillamond could tell nothing. "What do you know about the Wicked Witch?" he asked again, sounding slightly more impatient this time.

"Has she been captured?" Dr. Dillamond demanded angrily.

The guard who had been speaking sighed impatiently, and jerked his thumb in Dr. Dillamond's direction to his men. As the men took a hold of him, he could only pray that he had helped Elphaba.

…

A/N: Oh, I liked this chapter, I think. Hooray! So now the story shall take a turn.

Anna Marie Raven: (I know you didn't review this chapter) You were right about the capture of Dr. Dillamond. : )

Blufair: Oh, no, no, don't apologize! I love it when you analyze my characters, I certainly can't (analyze them)! I love your reviews! Thanks so much!

Elphabafabalaelphiefae: Oh! I didn't know they were from Rent, but now I see it! Very nice job. : ) And thanks!

Anonymous-cat: You were right about my characters. : ) Hooray for spotting that one! Thanks!

Defyingravity: Thanks so much! Nice name. : ) And of course! Criticism is _always_ appreciated, how else am I going to improve? I knew there was something wrong about that sentence, thank you for correcting me!

Kennedy Leigh Morgan: Aw, thanks, I'm glad you liked that part! I liked it, too. Hooray for Nessa!


	10. Chapter 10

Elphaba paced back and forth in the clearing, the crisp air biting at her hands as she wrung them. The clearing was surrounded by woods, tall trees, a square space about the size of her old dorm room that seemed to have been made for her. There were only a few trees in front of the clearing; it was located on top of a cliff, and if you walked out past the trees, you could stand at the edge and look down upon Oz.

She had carelessly dropped the Grimmerie and her broom to the side, and she stopped pacing to kick the broom, watching as it rolled once away from her. She looked at the items for a moment and then slowly dropped to her knees, grabbing one side of her cape with each hand and folding her arms so that the cape covered her. Her hat dipped down on her head, and she let her long black hair fall forward, covering her green face as she looked at nothing.

She had been caught. Kind of. She supposed she couldn't really look at it as being caught if she was here, alone, no one in all of Oz knowing where she was. She replayed the scene in her head. It certainly had been exciting – though not the good kind of exciting. In her mind, she looked back down upon the window she had escaped from, looking at all of the people who had been there, who had wanted to see her captured. There were a lot of people there. The thought gave her chills, even though the fact that she was hated should have been a familiar thought.

Her mind wandered to Dr. Dillamond, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to think about him. She opened her eyes again, though, and let herself think of him. Was he caught? Amaurine and Rojaro knew that Dr. Dillamond had sent her. Her heart began to pound as she realized that they knew everything about what she had been doing the last week. She should have remembered that immediately and saved him. She let go of her cape and pushed her hair out of her face. She should have remembered.

She thought briefly that perhaps it might not be too late to save him, but shook her head. If they wanted to capture him, they would have. But Amaurine and Rojaro were friends with Dr. Dillamond, after all. She took a deep breath, consoled by that fact. They didn't seem like they had called the National Guard because they just got a thrill out of sentencing people to death, they seemed afraid of her. She nodded slowly to herself. They wouldn't tell about Dr. Dillamond.

She guessed.

She ripped her hat off and threw it next to the Grimmerie, standing back up. She shoved her palms in to her eyes, wanting to cry, to break down, to have someone take care of her.

There was no one there, though.

She knew she couldn't do this, and she took her hands away from her dry eyes and looked up at the black sky. A drop of water splashed directly in to her eye. Surprised, she looked down, rubbing it away with her hand. She looked back up at the sky, as it broke open and began to pour water on to her. The cold water ran down her face, soaking every bit of her. She looked down away from the sky and stared at the Grimmerie, then turned her head to look behind her in the woods. It was much drier under the cover of so many trees, and she knew that, but for inexplicable reasons even to herself, she couldn't find it in herself to walk one step. She took her cape off and knelt down on the ground, lowering herself from there to a laying position, and spread her cape over her. She fell asleep almost immediately.

…

Nessa was startled by the knocking on the door. She looked up from her homework at the door. Could it be Boq? "Come in," she called, praying that it would be Boq.

It wasn't Boq. Madame Morrible swept into the room, not coming very close to Nessa. "Miss Nessarose," she said with her solemn face.

Nessa looked at her disappointment and contempt in her eyes. "Yes?"

"Pack your bags. Your father is ill and he requests you. Get ready and meet me in my office in one hour." Madame Morrible left the room as quickly as she came, slamming the door behind her.

Nessa stared at the door with wide eyes and parted lips, then quickly looked away, still shocked. Ill? He had always had excellent health, and he wasn't yet old. Her chin trembled. She hoped he was all right.

…

Her suitcase in her lap (she only packed enough for a week), Nessa wheeled herself down to Madame Morrible's office. She reached up and knocked on the door. The door was opened immediately, and Nessa guessed that she had been waiting for her. She found herself only three inches away from the huge red and gold dress of Madame Morrible, and quickly wheeled herself back a foot. Madame Morrible looked down at her severely. "I trust you know Boq," she said to her after a moment.

She gestured behind her, and Boq stood behind her, his hat in his hands. He gave Nessa a small smile, and Nessa stared at him, happy and incredulous.

Madame Morrible turned away from Boq and back to Nessa. "He has volunteered to accompany you to your father's. I hope that he will not betray my confidence."

Boq looked at Madame Morrible tentatively, trying to edge his way past her and to Nessa. Madame Morrible moved out of his way in one step, letting him pass. He moved behind her, and they shared a small smile. He grabbed ahold of her wheelchair's handles, looking back at Madame Morrible. She looked them over in disgust. "Take the nine p.m. train to your father's house – I trust you know where it is?" she asked Nessa condescendingly.

Nessa nodded.

Madame Morrible stared at them both. "All right. My…best to your father."

She disappeared back into her office, and Boq stood and Nessa sat in awkward silence for a moment. Boq cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about your father."

"Don't be sorry yet, Boq, we don't know how ill he is." Nessa said forcedly. She put a small smile on her face. "Thanks for coming with me."

He smiled behind her. "Thanks for letting me come."

…

Glinda's white heels clicked along the cobblestones as she slowed down. There was a large group of people across the street next to the newsstand, and the papers were selling fast. She stared at it for a moment, the first thing popping into her head being "Elphaba". She listened intently for a moment, and heard someone say "Wicked".

That settled it, and her heels clicked along again as she walked with short, quick steps over to the stand. She pushed her way through the crowd of people and found a money piece in her purse. "One, please," she told the greasy man operating the stand.

…

Glinda locked the door behind her as she ran into her room. She went to her bed and sat delicately upon it, laying her white purse next to her. She was clutching the newspaper in one hand. She had decided she wouldn't look at it until she was in her dorm room, on her bed, and now that she was, she wasn't entirely certain that she wanted to see it anyway. The back page was facing up, and she let the off-white paper and black print mix with each other. She knew it was about Elphaba. It had to be. She took a deep breath and slowly turned the paper over to the front.

**Wicked Witch Evades Capture Again**

Glinda let out a sigh of relief, letting the smile come to her lips as she bit the nail of her small finger. Evade. That meant that she was safe. That she wasn't caught. Her hands were still shaky, but she was relieved. Reading the article, she found herself disgusted at how much they praised the people who had ratted Elphaba out. Glinda also, and this probably surprised herself the most, found herself a little proud of Elphaba. She had escaped from them once again, and that could not have been easy.

Glinda flopped back on the bed, trying to imagine the scene in her head. Elphaba would have been frightened. She remembered being in the Palace's attic with Elphaba – the panic in her expression, the way she had ran around, looking for any way out. It was a horrible memory, and she never wanted Elphaba to have to go through that again. She sat up again. She really, really wanted to find Elphaba.

…

A/N: SO SORRY! SO SORRY! SO SORRY! I know. It took me almost two months to update. And I am SO SORRY for that! My goodness this chapter haunted me for so long until I finally wrote it. It's not very good, but at least it's there so that you know what happens a little bit. Again, I am so sorry, and I'll get back on track with updating/good author's notes/etc. with the next chapter. I'll update quickly again!


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